Friday, November 16, 2007

Taking inspiration from Nature

Forget traditional robots that look like humans, these days robots come in all different shapes and sizes. But it’s not only their appearance that is changing - robotics researchers are also thinking very differently about how the function, as discussed in a review this week in the journal Science. Whereas the focus used to be on getting robots to perform specific tasks, like packaging chocolates in a manufacturing plant, researchers are now looking at creating more complex machines that can deal with unpredictable circumstances.

Although some of these robots look like the real thing, it’s not about replicating nature but rather understanding the basic principles of biology and transferring those that are most useful. Creating a model is often a good first step: to make the salamander robot, for example, researchers replicated the animal’s spinal cord and used a similar system to control their robot’s movement.

But there is still a lot to learn about animal behaviour and how brain and body interact with each other in a changing environment. Can you think of some interesting animal behaviours that might be good inspiration for robot makers?

I predict this will become the technology that knocks customised production into the main stream.I believe it will start with robotisists using future more powerful computers to design&simulate these bots causing enthusiasts to push for ways to better take the design simulation to real world production.I also predict that by the time such a toy industry is in full swing, Far more seriuous AI bot factories will be beginning to meet more purposeful objectives.I hope i'm right because i'm moving into the world of civil engineering intent on studying the use of robots for tunneling and tunnel maintainance purposes and i could sure do with such a movement.Roll on the next decade and isn't the science bubbling in this one getting interesting.